


homeward bound

by egeria



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28017270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egeria/pseuds/egeria
Summary: They’re all outdated, consisting of Lu Ten’s school pictures, and scenes from the last family beach trip the family took in the early 2000s, when they’d all met at his father’s old beach house on the northern Californian coast. This wall has always filled him with remorse, and nostalgia, and the mourning of a life that never happened.But now, thinking of adding Zuko and Azula’s school pictures onto the wall, with its chipped wallpaper original to the home...he feels a sense of hope instead.—in which iroh prepares his home for his niece and nephew.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 139





	homeward bound

**Author's Note:**

> loosely based off of me moving in with my dad at sixteen, except like, this is from what would’ve been my dad’s perspective. anyways, the gentle ramblings of a man preparing for his family

He hasn’t had a teenager in his house in a decade. Lu Ten had left at eighteen to attend university, and had passed away in his first year. And, though Iroh wouldn’t necessarily call himself  _ hip _ , he knew that necessities for a teenage boy and girl had at least somewhat evolved since 2010. 

In short, the PlayStation 3 wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Nor was the bulky desktop that took five minutes to fully turn on. 

Zuko arrives in three days, and Azula, who’s currently receiving treatment at an in-patient hospital, will be following suit in six weeks (if all goes well). Iroh had  _ thought _ he was ready— he has two spare bedrooms, both already suited with queen beds and a dresser. Lu Ten’s old room even had a desk, ready for textbooks that will rarely be used. 

But as he stands in front of the closet in what will be Zuko’s room, staring at the old belongings that have been collecting dust for the past decade, he lets out a long-suffering sigh. 

He really hoped he could avoid Best Buy. But after the incident, there was only so much the children could take with them, and Iroh was quickly realizing that he needed to stock up. 

Letting out a small groan, he closes the closet door, before slowly eyeing the comforter on the bed. It’s a green plaid, what you’d find in any boy’s bedroom. But he knows Zuko  _ hates _ green, and when he thinks about the floral comforter in Azula’s room, he drops his head in his hands. 

Scratch Best Buy. Iroh is going to have to go to Wal-Mart. 

He hates Wal-Mart. 

Iroh quickly surveys both bedrooms, making notes of what he remembers the kids liking— both of their favorite colors are red, Azula needs room to do her painting, Zuko needs shelves for his books (or, fuck, Zuko needs some books to fill the shelves), both enjoy doing yoga…

By the time he finishes writing the list out on his phone, he can physically feel his wallet cringing away. 

Well, no one ever said children were cheap. 

And after the tens of thousands he spent in legal fees, what’s a little more? He’s giving them a fresh start. It needs to be comfortable. 

He lumbers down the stairs of his rickety old 1940s home, eyeing the pictures lining the wall. They’re all outdated, consisting of Lu Ten’s school pictures, and scenes from the last family beach trip the family took in the early 2000s, when they’d all met at his father’s old beach house on the northern Californian coast. This wall has always filled him with remorse, and nostalgia, and the mourning of a life that never happened. 

But now, thinking of adding Zuko and Azula’s school pictures onto the wall, with its chipped wallpaper original to the home...he feels a sense of hope instead. 

Portland in the winter is wet, and Iroh prepares himself accordingly— grabbing his boots and jacket before searching for the keys to the beat up Subaru he’s been driving for years. It’s not that Iroh can’t afford another car. In fact, he’s quite well off, perhaps the main (and only) benefit to bring his father’s son. But he doesn’t see the need to spend his money on flashy things. It’s one of the many aspects that separates him from his younger brother. 

(Even the thought of Ozai, of his little brother, who he held the day he was born, makes Iroh pause, his hand over the door handle. That the small child could grow up to be such a monst-)

Iroh takes a deep breath, recentering himself. There’s no time to mourn who Ozai could’ve been. 

He braces himself for the cold, drawing his hood up as he locks the door, and quickly makes his way to his car, avoiding the puddles scattered throughout the front of his home. Once he’s in the car, he has to really stop and think about where in the hell the closest Wal-Mart even  _ is _ . Iroh lives in the southeast quadrant of the city, and usually spends his money at local shops. But, as much as he’d love to, even he doesn’t have the patience to go to the heavens-knows how many stores would be needed to get everything he needs. 

A quick Google search and the opening of the maps app, and Iroh is on his way to the closest mega store, located about fifteen minutes away, further east, almost to the suburbs. Lately, his mind has been constantly running. He’s been anxious— mentally creating list after list of what he needs to get done before the children arrive. But, for these fifteen minutes, he lets himself play the most recent recording of  _ Yūzuru _ , losing himself to the beautiful music (and okay, maybe ensuring he hasn’t lost any of his Japanese language skills). 

The store is, predictably, crowded, but he finds a close enough parking spot and rushes his way to the entrance. The rain is coming down a bit harder now, and people are covering their heads as they pass. For some reason, no one in Portland ever seems to carry an umbrella. When he enters the lobby area, he quickly grabs a cart and, once again, centers himself. 

One must always center themselves before beginning a Wal-Mart shopping trip. 

He has a short list, though it’s hardly complete. He’s not naive enough to expect that the kids won’t want anything once they get here. But he needs to at least get what he  _ knows _ they want. Not just need. Want. 

So first, electronics. 

Last time he spoke to Zuko, he remembers him mentioning the PlayStation 5, which Iroh assumes is the newest one. And Azula, he remembers, enjoys the Nintendo Switch. Last time he’d seen her, she’d been playing some game with talking animals. 

And both needed laptops. Iroh, unfortunately, knows nothing about laptops or computers or any of that silly electronic stuff. What he does know, however, is that all of these items came with a hefty price tag. 

His wallet cringes again. 

He makes his way to the back of the store, where the glass displays of laptops sit under the blinding fluorescents. Near one of the counters, a young man, probably in his twenties, with a fairly grumpy look, is standing there, twirling a pen between his fingers. 

Iroh decides this grumpy young adult looks promising enough. 

“Excuse me, sir,” Iroh says, making his way over. “I was wondering if you could assist me?”

The man arches an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“My niece and nephew are coming to live with me, and they’ve unfortunately lost access to their laptops, so I’ll be needing to purchase replacements. Now, as you can see, I’m quite old, and I don’t know much about these computers. Would you be able to help?” Iroh ends this with a smile. 

The young man (Tristan, according to his name tag), looks unimpressed. But honestly, Iroh doesn’t really expect outward joy from someone who has to come to Wal-Mart for work. What a nightmare. 

“Sure,” Tristan says. “Is this just for school?”

“I’d presume. And general browsing.” Iroh pauses, thinking of other information he might need to provide. “They’re both in high school.”

The man points in the general direction towards the case of Apple products, explaining the difference between an Air and a Pro, which honestly Iroh can only half keep up with, and by the end of it, Iroh is leaving the electronics section with two Macbook Pros, a Nintendo Switch, and a Playstation 5, and a few less thousands of dollars. 

But on to the bedding. 

He’s not ashamed to admit that he spends an obnoxious amount of time staring at the different bedding, wracking his brain for what might fit them best. It doesn’t help that there’s an entire aisle filled to the brim of comforters and bed sets. Whoever thought having a thousand different options was a good idea must have been on something. 

Ten minutes later and two new red-colored bed sets later, and Iroh is off to check-out, only making a quick pit stop to purchase them some basic bathroom necessities. 

When he gets home, the rain has finally calmed, and he’s able to empty the back of his Subaru without having to rush. Iroh turns on some Torū Takemitsu on his speakers (one luxury he allowed himself to buy) and goes through the painful process of getting the beds set up, washing the new sheets and getting everything made. He’ll probably end up re-washing Azula’s sheets before she arrives, but he knows Zuko will appreciate seeing her room already prepared. That boy loves his sister, and his protectiveness is both admirable and terrifying. 

(About halfway through trying to set up the gaming consoles, he about takes a hammer to them and decides he’ll leave that to Zuko.)

The next day, he can’t avoid the tea shop and the administrative work that’s piling on top of his desk there, and he heads in early. He wants to take a day or two off when Zuko arrives, just to ensure he’s comfortable and has everything he needs. 

And, well, due to the scar on Zuko’s left eye… well, Iroh needs to make sure his nephew understands the public transportation system as well. 

He’s on pile three (bills), and given his stomach’s rumbling, he figures it must be close to midday. Just as he’s about to stand and stretch and  _ eat _ , there’s a quick rap on his office door. He pops his head up. 

Jin, a sweet sixteen year old who works here over the summer and as much as she can during the school year, is standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face. 

“Did I catch you off guard?” she asks. 

Iroh chuckles, leaning back in his seat. “Not at all, Jin. What can I do for you?”

“Oh, I was just letting you know that I’m going on lunch. Haru is running the counter now, and we aren’t too busy.” Her eyes are wandering around the office, as if she’s looking for something. 

Iroh arches an eyebrow. “Anything else?”

“Hmm?” she asks, distracted. She looks back up at him, blinking a few times before seemingly realizing what she was doing. “Oh, right. Sorry. I was just wondering… well, we were all curious…”

He patiently waits. 

“Well, your nephew is moving in soon, right?”

His face lights up. “Yes! In just two days time, actually. Well, really a little less than thirty-six hours. He’s taking the first flight out of San Francisco.”

Jin nods, her eyes alight with curiosity now, and she takes a cautious step into the cramped office. “And is he, um, our age?”

“He just turned sixteen, so he’ll be a junior this upcoming school year.” Iroh leans forward, propping his elbows up on the table, leaning his head on to one of hands. “Can I ask why you’re so curious?”

“Well, Haru and I are the same age. And we have our friend Jet, you know him right? He’s come in here with his foster siblings?”

Iroh knows Jet. He’s a kid who’s a bit rough around the edges, but honestly, who isn’t. Iroh always ensures to give him and his siblings tea on the house. 

“He’s a sweet kid,” Iroh says to her. 

“Great! Well, I know your nephew, um…”

“Zuko.”

“Zuko! I know Zuko won’t know anyone here, so I—we— were going to offer to maybe hang out with him sometime. Show him around the city. And we’ll all be at the same school, so…” she pauses, shifting a bit on her feet. “I just wanted to put it out there.”

Iroh’s face is absolute joy at this moment. Truly, if you put his face next to the word ‘joy’ in the dictionary, it’d sum up the definition pretty quick. 

“I think he’d love that, thank you, Jin. I also have a niece, Azula, who will be starting her freshman year, though she won’t be down until closer to the end of summer. If you know anyone her age, I’m sure she’d love to meet them.”

(And yes, Iroh is aware that’s a bold-faced lie. But Azula does need friends, and he has to start somewhere.)

Jin smiles and nods and goes on her way, a small skip in her step. Slowly, Iroh can feel the pieces (somewhat) coming together. 

He’s hoping the end result of this puzzle are two happy children. 

Later that evening, when he’s finally made it home and rinsed the smell of tea off of him, he manages to run to the grocery store and stock up on food, grabbing healthy (and unhealthy snacks) and whatever else he remembers buying for Lu Ten, before finally—after he’s returned home and put everything into the cabinets (and marveling at how full they are for the first time in  _ years _ )—passing out on the couch to reruns of  _ Seinfeld _ . 

The next day is much of the same— bills and paperwork and ordering more tea and dealing with cold calls from salespeople. But today, he has a unique knot forming in the pit of his stomach. Anxiousness, maybe? He’s excited, yes. And so, so,  _ so _ very happy that he was, after all this time, able to get the children from Ozai. Even if it did involve…

Well, nevertheless, he’s happy to have them. 

It’s not the weight of responsibility. Or, perhaps it is. He hasn’t raised a child since Lu Ten, who, in most regards, was an easy child. Sure, Iroh was a single dad, after his wife passed away when Lu Ten was only four. But, even still, he’d never had any behavioral issues. Got good grades. Excelled. 

Not to say Zuko and Azula  _ won’t  _ excel, but, well. 

You’d have to be ignorant to assume they’ll be anywhere as easy as Lu Ten. Or that Iroh’s approach to Lu Ten— whatever that approach  _ was _ , Iroh’s not completely sure his parenting style had a name other than “trying my best”— will work here. 

But Iroh is also aware that these kids need him. Desperately. 

And he’s going to have to do his damndest to not fuck up. 

The night before he goes to pick Zuko up at the airport, he finds himself in the living room of Jeong Jeong and Piandao, two of his closest friends. They’re sipping sake and watching a fencing match on the television. There’s not much talking, just Piandao occasionally screaming pointers at competitors who can’t hear him. It’s a fairly normal evening for the group of them. 

“In the morning, hm?” Jeong Jeong asks, taking a sip. 

Iroh looks over at him, an eyebrow raising. “Yes, just Zuko for now.”

Jeong Jeong nods, looking back at the TV. He’s always been a man of few words, but his eyes always tell you what he’s thinking. 

Except for now. 

Iroh sighs. “What is it?”

Jeong Jeong shakes his head. “It’s nothing, really. I’m just… relieved. And nervous. Relieved you got the children out. Your brother is a monster.”

And Jeong Jeong is always straight to the point when he  _ does _ deign to talk. 

“But nervous. It’ll be a lot.”

“I love them,” Iroh replies simply. 

He nods. “From what I’ve heard, I think that’s exactly what they need.”

He makes his way home an hour later, knowing it’s going to take hours for him to even fall asleep. The ball of nervousness is growing and growing the closer it gets, and eventually he has to accept that the sleepy time tea isn’t going to cut it, and takes a sleeping pill or two to finally get some much-needed shut-eye. 

When the sun finally rises, it seems the spirits seemed to be as excited as Iroh. For once, the winter skies of Portland are clear, and Iroh is able to enjoy the view of the volcanoes surrounding the city as he makes his way to the airport. When Zuko was a child, he had loved to go up in the mountains with his cousin, and Iroh wonders if his nephew would be interested in exploring the Cascade Mountains that encircle them. 

Iroh parks in the garage at the airport, turning off the ignition and, as has seemed to be the trend recently, taking a breath to center himself. Zuko’s plane lands in fifteen minutes— Iroh always is early when he’s anxious. 

With both trepidation and excitement, his feet both heavy and quick, he goes inside and stands by the doors where passengers exit the terminal. They’re glass, but he can’t see too much, the airport security blocking most of the view. 

He’s practically vibrating when he feels his phone buzz, and he quickly digs it out of his pocket. 

_ Landed.  _

And then, a moment later.

_ See you soon _ . 

A smile as wide as the moon is on Iroh’s face, and the ball of nervousness is evolving quickly into a ball of pure, unadultured excitement. 

The Portland airport is small, and thankfully he doesn’t have to wait long until he sees a herd of people making it to the exit doors. Zuko is still relatively short— men in his family don’t hit the growth spurt until they’re around nineteen, usually— but it’s not hard to find him in the crowd. His face is set in its normal scowl, and, admittedly, the scar isn’t helping the look. 

He can see his nephew’s eyes darting around, and when Zuko’s eyes meet his, the ball bursts as Zuko’s face transforms into joy. 

His boy is  _ home _ . 

He runs forward to meet him, and engulfs his sweet child in his arms, giving him a quick kiss on the top of his shaggy hair. 

“Hi, uncle,” Zuko murmurs. A year ago, he’d have pushed away, embarrassed. But now, he’s holding on tight, pressing his face into Iroh. 

“Hello, my boy.” He pulls back, looking at Zuko in the face. They’re both smiling. “Welcome home.”

  
  
  



End file.
